Once a month, the CALS Communications team hosts a workshop for all CALS departmental and unit communicators and communications enthusiasts. These sessions focus on best practices, tips and tools to ensure we are on-brand and effective in telling our college’s story.
We also seek to provide a space for networking and discussion between communicators who might not otherwise come in contact.
CALS Comm 2022 Workshop Schedule
During these hour-long workshops, CALS Communications will provide the latest practical guidance on various communications topics. Have a topic you want us to cover?
Workshops are typically the second Thursday of the month from 10 to 11 a.m.
| Workshop Title | Host | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Writing | Want to re-invigorate your writing, this workshop will get you started. | Janine Brumfield | 1/20 |
| Getting Smart Phone Savvy for Comms Work | We may not carry a video or still camera with us, but a smartphone is probably in your pocket. Attend this training to learn how to make the most of your phone. | Keeshan Ganatra | 2/10 |
| Hybrid Events | With more in-person and virtual events, this session will prepare you to think through all the details. | University Events Team | 3/10 |
| Photos for Stories | Choosing the best photos for your story, in-story layout ideas, and tips for cropping, resizing and using stock photos. | Chris Liotta and Emma Bublitz | 4/14 |
| Canva Skills | Canva streamlines design work. Tune into this workshop to learn how to use it to freshen up your design work. | Adriane Clark and Leighann Vinesett | 5/12 |
| Inclusive Language | Communicating with people and groups of different backgrounds is critical. This session will review current best practices. | Elizabeth Snively | 6/8 |
| Search Engine Optimization | This training will provide best practices for website and post searchability. | Kristin Sargent and Alastair Hadden | 7/21 |
| CALS Tailgate 101 for Exhibitors | CALS Tailgate exhibitors will receive tips and tricks for sharing information about their programs, projects and units. | CALS Tailgate Team | 8/4 |
| Website Updates | After transitioning CALS websites to WordPress over the past five years, new updates continue to release. This workshop will familiarize you with the new NC State Theme and Gutenberg content editor. Register Now | CALS Web Team | 9/8 |
| CALS Comm Open House | Our open house will introduce all of the services available through CALS Communications. | CALS Comm Team | 10/13 |
| Accessibility | Attend this training and make your electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. | TBD | 11/10 |
Catch up on previous CALS Comm Workshops on YouTube.
Resources
Busy-Day Communications Strategy
Our goal is to make your life easier while making sure your department’s amazing stories get the coverage they deserve.
- Have great students? Send them this Q&A sheet to fill out (make sure to view in Adobe Reader), proof and post.
- Have great faculty? We have a Q&A template for them.
- Amazing alums? Same idea, different questions.
Ask for headshots with all of these, maybe write a brief introduction, and you have good content with less than 30 minutes of work.
Planning
The best way to save time is to plan and know the CALS message.
- CALS Brand Promise and Core Messages – keep these in mind as you write, and you’ll never go wrong.
- A strategic monthly communications plan at a glance – five easy pieces: CALS Comm Monthly Content Strategy. Four of those will take you half an hour or less.
- When you start to write, use the CALS Comm Post Planner to save time by quickly organizing your thoughts to stay on message.
Recorded Sessions and PowerPoints
Unable to attend a session or want to revisit discussions from past workshops? We have materials for you to view.
- Presentation – ‘A Beginner’s Mind’: Creative Writing Workshop – January 2020
- Video – Using Strategic Brand and Tone When Writing for NC State – October 2019
- Presentation – Using Strategic Brand and Tone When Writing for NC State – October 2019
- PowerPoint – I’m Creating a Video…Now What? – August 2019
- Video – Want to Take Better Pictures? – June 2019
- PowerPoint – Want to Take Better Pictures? – June 2019
- Video – How to Stand Out in a Saturated World – February 2019
- Video – Social Media: What Not to Do – January 2019
- Video – Photography Tricks, Tips and Basics for Research or Marketing – Sept. 28, 2017
- Video – Social Media Tips and Tricks – April 27, 2017
- PowerPoint – Department Websites Update – Feb. 23, 2017
- PowerPoint – Guide to Publishing Events and News on Department Websites – Feb. 23, 2017
- Video – 30 Minutes or Less: Busy-Day Communications – May 19, 2016
- Video – 5 Minutes or Less: Busy-Day Communications – May 19, 2016
- Video – Four Steps to Telling Fantastic Stories – April 21, 2016
- Video – Building a Communications Strategy, Part 1 and Part 2 – March 17, 2016
Catch up on previous CALS Comm Workshops on YouTube.